
Most Canadians are familiar with this term. CanCon refers to
Canadian Content regulations broadcasters have to adhere to. They were
introduced in the sixties (I think?) to stem the flow of American media
infiltrating our airwaves. To this day, television and radio stations are
legally required to devote a certain percentage (between 30% and 40% I think?)
of broadcast hours to Canadian programming.
As I write this post, I’m watching one of my all-time
favourite sitcoms: Corner Gas. Just so happens to be Canadian. Same goes for
Murdoch Mysteries, Republic of Doyle, Blackstone. And the radio’s playing some
of my favourite Canadian artists and bands: Tanya Tagaq, Mother Mother, Arcade
Fire. Canada’s full of talented people.
I’ve often wondered: what if there were CanCon rules
regarding books? There aren’t any, as far as I’m aware (and, yes, that would be
a tad Big Brother-ish), but the truth is we don’t need anyone advising us to
read Canadian fiction.
Canadians are voracious novel-readers, and we can’t get
enough of our own writers. That’s not to say Canadians don’t read international
fiction—we certainly do—but Canadian fiction also has an international flair.
That’s because so many of our incredible authors have personal or ancestral
roots beyond our shores. Farzana Doctor, Michael Ondaatje, Rohinton Mistry, Esi
Edugyan. Canadian fiction can be set anywhere, because Canadian authors can be
from anywhere.
Me? I’m from Toronto and I’m not much of a traveller, so
most of my fiction is set here.
When I first started writing, I concealed my settings.
Generic streets, generic cities. I thought that would appeal better to an
American audience. Toronto has had a booming film industry for as long as I can
remember, partly because our streets can stand in for Chicago, New York… as
long as you cut the CN Tower out of your shot, you could be anywhere.
So I did that for a while, in my fiction: cut out the CN
Tower. My characters could be anywhere.
The first novel I set in Toronto was my MMF menage romance,
Anonymous. I can’t remember why I set it here, but it’s full of landmarks:
Hannah lives in Bloor West, works in Yorkville, and stalks a man on Church
Street. It’s a very “Toronto” book.
My latest, a lesbian novel called The Other Side of Ruth, is
also set in Toronto. Ruth lives in a part of the city called The Beach, which
has a small-town feel to it. Her much younger girlfriend is an artist who hangs
out on Queen Street. Together, they attend Nuit Blanche. They dance Halloween
night away on Church Street, Toronto’s Gay Village.
One particular characteristic of Canadian fiction is that
the setting becomes a sort of character. The ways in which Ruth and Agnes
interact with their surroundings are crucial to the development of the plot.
If you want to give Canadian fiction a go, Toronto certainly
plays a role in this book. You’ll see it in every scene.
The Other Side of Ruth is available as an ebook published by
eXcessica, and also in print.
Get the paperback at Amazon.com or buy from Createspace and use Coupon Code AN5EWZTX for $5.00 off!
Get the ebook at…
Amazon | Amazon UK | B&N | All Romance Ebooks | Kobo | Smashwords | Excitica
Great post Giselle. I'd like to ve to visit Canada one day x
ReplyDeleteThanks for being our guest Giselle :) I'd never heard of Can Con and yes, thank goodness it doesn't apply to books.
ReplyDeleteLily x
Brilliant blog by one of my favourite writers. Thanks Giselle x
ReplyDeleteThanks for having me!
ReplyDelete